Location: Underway to Port Elizabeth
There are certain qualities you need to have when living onboard a boat, the most crucial of which is flexibility. If you thought it was something else, you’re wrong, and here is why:
Watch team 3, our lovely PSCTers and staff joylessly awoke this morning at roughly the same time as the sun, 4 am. It began as any other departure might, PFDs on, hydraulics set, engine warming up, and then we got to the anchor. The thing about anchors is that you don’t want them to move until you do. Our first anchor, the primary, came up nice and easy. Our stern anchor, set to keep us from swinging, was an entirely different story. At first, we thought, “Hey, why not try the windlass? Pull a little, and it will pop right out.” Not so much. Next, we thought, “Maybe we can send in a diver, or three, to just help it up.” Again, not so much. A few hours later, to a chorus of cheers on deck, the anchor finally escaped its muddy prison, and we were busting out of Durban with an early morning sense of accomplishment.
Thankfully, there were no more hiccups in our day as sails went up nice and easy, and our passage down to East London is already almost over. We’ve had sunshine throughout the entire afternoon, enjoyed some fantastic sailing, and are currently cruising down the Agulhas Current at 10 knots. And bonus points, we all get to feel like we achieved something great today because we did.